Artifact
by DarkNymfa
Summary: After their summer-long chase, trailed by the GiW and Freakshow, Danny was finally ready for all this madness to be over. He just wanted a normal vacation, now, where nothing exciting happened. He woke up on the second day of his vacation. And then again. And again. And again. (Ectoberweek2019, Day 4)


Day 4! Content warning for uhhh, time loop shenanigans? As in, the frustration and annoyance that comes with a time loop, I guess. Idk. You ever get caught in a time loop, and nobody bothers to tell you how to fix it?

And again, I haven't proofread any of this yet, because I'm in a bit of a time crunch. I'm gonna edit them all over the next few weeks, so if you catch any errors, please let me know! Also because English still isn't my first language and I can't learn from my mistakes if I don't realize I'm making them.

* * *

Danny clenched his fist, the golden claws of the Reality Gauntlet curving easily with the movement. From this close he could feel the power emanating from the gems, even more so than when he'd just been searching for them. They pulled at Danny's core, tugged at the fabric of reality itself.

They could not be allowed to exist. The chance that someone evil, someone dangerous, would lay their hands on the Gauntlet… It could not be borne.

He took off the glove, took a steadying breath, and tossed it in the air.

His ecto-blast easily blew the Reality Gauntlet apart, the gems shattering, releasing their hold on existence itself.

Good.

Confident that this whole nightmare was now over, Danny landed, made sure no one was watching, and shifted back to human form. He took his phone out of his pocket, quickly texting Sam and Tucker to tell them that he'd dealt with it.

He looked up as he walked into the kitchen, his parents sitting around the table. They both seemed surprised to see him.

"Hey Danno," his dad said, frowning a little. "Thought you were leaving on a vacation with Sam and Tucker?"

"Uh, yeah." He shrugged. "Something came up, so we canceled it."

"What a shame." His mom sighed, but then smiled at him. "Well, at least we'll see a little more of each other this summer, right?"

He swallowed, heavily, guilty suddenly heavy in his stomach. They had accepted him, when they found out, and he made them forget.

"Yes," he finally said, after entirely too long. "Yeah, I mean… I might be over at Sam's and Tucker's a lot, but I'll be home sometimes."

Maddie frowned at him a little, her brow creased, but she nodded. "Be sure to tell us if you won't be home, okay sweetie?"

"Uh huh." He nodded, swallowing away more guilt cloying in his throat. "I'll be, uh, upstairs."

Quickly he turned around, storming out of the kitchen. He couldn't do this. He couldn't face his parents, knowing that they had loved him despite everything, and that he _made_ them forget.

And as much as he wanted to believe that he had _had_ to, that there was no other way, he _knew_ there was. Because if he could do it for Sam and Tucker, he could've done it for his parents, too. Even if he didn't want them to know about the rest, about the danger his ghost-hunting posed sometimes…

Well, he could just tell them _now_, couldn't he?

But, no, he couldn't. He wasn't… wasn't _brave_ enough, to tell them now. Never, not once, had he told his secret; people always found out on their own. Vlad, and Jazz, and now his parents, even if they didn't remember.

He _wanted_ them to know, but he couldn't… couldn't bring himself to tell them.

Oh, if only there was some way out of this!

But life wasn't like that. It offered no quick and easy solution, no way out. Even if he tracked down Desiree and wished it, she would twist it somehow.

Danny sighed, then threw himself down on his bed. Maybe after a good night's rest he would be brave enough to tell his parents—or exhausted enough to blurt it out during breakfast. At this point he would take either, really.

* * *

The screech of an alarm clock woke Danny, and he started and rolled out of his bed. With a groan he swung for the alarm clock, managing to hit the 'snooze' button.

He must've accidentally switched it back on after yesterday.

Well, looked like he was getting an early start today. No use in going back to bed now, with his body all worked up due to the scare.

Making sure to turn the alarm off properly this time, Danny dressed and shambled down the stairs. The kitchen was noisy when he wandered in, the smell of breakfast heavy in the air.

"Morning, Danny," Jazz said, glancing up from her book. "You're up early."

"Accidentally turned on my alarm," he admitted, sitting down in his usual spot. "Breakfast smells good, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie. And good morning." She smiled at him, then turned back to the stove to flip a pancake. "It'll be done soon."

His dad looked up from the circuitry he was messing with. "Good morning, Danno. Didya at least sleep well?"

Danny paused, thinking back of how he'd been woken in the middle of the night by the Box Ghost. He shrugged. "It was alright."

"That's good." His dad nodded, his eyes going back to the gadget. "You going to meet with your friends today?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." He got up to grab a plate, realizing that the table was only made for three people. "We're going over to Sam's, play some video games, watch some movies, y'know? Waste the day away."

Jazz clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Shouldn't you use your time more carefully, Danny? Not a whole lot of free time during the school year."

"Yeah, which is why we're making the most out of the summer." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Besides, it's only one day, Jazz. Plenty of summer to go."

She made a face, but didn't argue.

"When can we expect you back, Danny?" His mom plated another pancake, then turned off the burners. "Will you be back for dinner?"

"Nah, we're probably gonna order pizza or something." He shrugged, sitting back down. "Tuck and I are probably gonna sleep over at Sam's, so I won't be back until tomorrow."

"Oh." Maddie's smile fell a little, although she quickly wiped the sad expression away again. "Well, at least we'll have breakfast together." She put the stack of pancakes down. "Eat up!"

* * *

Danny laid back, his head resting on his arms. "I would consider that a pretty solid day, all things considered."

"Does 'all things' refer to the canceled vacation, or to Skulker attacking?" Tucker looked up from the PDA he held. "Just asking for clarification."

"You suck." He blew a raspberry at his friend. "You know what I meant, Tuck."

"Nah, I agree with Tucker. Are you comparing it to our gem-hunting vacation or not?" Sam grinned at him, fanning her hand to dry her nails quicker. "It's an important distinction."

"I hate you both," Danny said flatly, "And I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," they both echoed, humor in their voices. Danny was pretty sure they were both smiling, but he had grumpily rolled himself away from them, swaddled in his blanket.

It had been a perfectly ordinary day. His core had hummed with power, but he had blamed the feeling on forgetting what it felt like for him to be well-rested. After all, he'd spent the whole chase basically running himself as dry as he could get, trying to outpace Freakshow and the GiW.

His only regret was that he still hadn't told his parents. That he had gone as far as to spend the day at Sam's, just so he could blame that for not telling them.

_Coward_, he chastised himself. _You need to tell them._

And, with that overly kind thought, he fell asleep.

* * *

An alarm clock went off, startling Danny awake. Swearing, he rolled out of his bed, adrenaline rushing as he went from fast asleep to wide awake in a split second.

He blindly swatted for the alarm clock, accidentally crushing it, still trying to process the situation.

Wait.

Why was he in his room?

He looked around to make sure, and yes, he was in his room. Standing next to his bed, wearing different pajamas than he had when he went to bed.

When he went to bed _at Sam's place_.

Quickly tracking down his phone, he flipped it open, frowning at the time. Just past 8 in the morning. Just like yesterday morning, he supposed.

Then his eyes caught on the date, and he felt his stomach plummet.

It was the same date as yesterday.

Alright, no, that was fine. No need to panic. It was clearly all some kind of stupid joke they were playing. Sam and Tucker must've arranged something with Jazz, to get him home while he was asleep. Or something.

There was no way they could've moved him without waking him up, but he pushed that thought away. No, it _must_ be some kind of joke. There was no way he was reliving yesterday!

He went through his morning rituals, only briefly pausing in front of his closet, staring at his clothes. Finally he settled on the same things he had worn yesterday. If this was a joke—and it _was_, it had to be—he was going to play along.

When he walked into the kitchen it smelled of pancakes, low conversation quieting as his family spotted him.

"Morning, Danny," Jazz said, looking up from her book. "You're up early."

Danny swallowed heavily, ignoring the way his stomach turned. "Accidentally turned on my alarm," he managed to tell her. "Breakfast smells good, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie. And good morning." Maddie smiled at him, moving exactly like she'd done yesterday. Like he remembered. "It'll be done soon."

"Good morning, Danno." His dad looked up from the circuitry he was still messing with. Was messing with _again_. "Didya at least sleep well?"

He'd gone to bed late, as he usually did when he was hanging out with Sam and Tucker. Why go to bed when you were having a good time?

Or was he as well-rested as last time, since technically last night was the one when he'd been woken up by the Box Ghost?

"It was alright," he finally settled on, figuring he might as well repeat the previous day. He was growing increasingly sure that it wasn't joke, that it was _real_, but he refused to acknowledge the possibility.

Even if it _was_ pretty much impossible for everyone to match yesterday so exactly.

"That's good," his dad said, nodding. "You going to meet with your friends today?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." He tried to swallow away the lump in his throat. He didn't succeed. "We're, uh. Going over to Sam's."

Jazz hummed thoughtfully. Somehow the change was more unsettling than when they had exactly follow the previous day. "Spending time with your friends is good, Danny. What are you guys gonna do?"

He shrugged, thrown off by the change in script. "Not much, probably. It's only the first day of the summer."

"I guess that that's fair. You could use some time to relax."

"When can we expect you back, Danny?" his mom asked as she plated a pancake. Danny wasn't sure if he was happy that they had gone back to exactly imitating the previous day or not. "Will you be back for dinner?"

"Uh, probably not? Tuck and I are thinking about sleeping over at Sam's, so we'll just order pizza or something."

"Oh." Maddie's face fell, and again, Danny felt the stab of pain at her disappointment. "Well, at least we'll have breakfast together."

She put the stack of pancakes down, a smile plastered back onto her face. "Eat up!"

* * *

Up until the moment he met up with Tucker, Danny was still trying to convince himself that this was just a joke. That this couldn't be real.

Until Tucker grinned at him, raised a hand, and cheerily went, "Hey dude, what's up?"

Danny groaned, loudly, and Tucker's expression immediately grew serious as he hurried over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's fine, just- Don't worry about it. Let's get to Sam's."

"Are you sure?" Tucker frowned at him, head cocked. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Or, well. You know what I mean."

He laughed a little. "It's fine, Tuck, I promise. I just want to enjoy today, okay?"

Tucker stared at him a little longer, eyes narrowed. Then, finally, he nodded. "Yeah, alright. Let's go, before she starts thinking we got ambushed by a ghost."

"Sam, worry about us?" Danny scoffed as he started walking, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. "No way, dude."

"When did I say she would worry about us?" Tucker shoved Danny, laughing. "She's gonna be pissed that we fought a ghost without her!"

* * *

Danny laid flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling above him. Next to him, Tucker was toying with his PDA. On the bed, Sam was painting her nails.

He licked his lips, considering. Last night, he had been the one to start a conversation. Right before he went to bed.

"Hey, guys?" he said, slowly, carefully, measuring out his words. "I love you."

Tucker looked up from his PDA, smiling. "Aw, dude. Love you too."

"Yeah, what he said." Sam grinned at him, fanning her hand to dry her nails. Again. "Love you too, Danny."

His heart clenched at the confessions, at the unconditional love.

"I love you both," he repeated, "And I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," they both echoed, voices warm. Danny was pretty sure they were both smiling, but he had rolled himself over again, swaddled in his blanket.

He didn't want to see. He loved his friends, he really did, but he could only think of one thing.

Why couldn't he get this love from his parents? Why couldn't he be brave enough to tell them, so they could love him too?

He swallowed back the regret, and went to sleep.

* * *

An alarm clock rang, and groaning, Danny swatted it off. He was in his room. Again.

The clock said that it was, once again, 8am. Reluctantly, Danny dragged himself out of bed, grabbing his phone.

It was the same day again.

There was no denying it. He had gotten himself caught in a time loop. And, by god, had he seen enough movies with that exact plot to know how to break it.

He had just… He had just hoped that telling his friends that he loved them would be enough. That he had somehow started it by telling them that he hated them, even though he didn't.

Should've known. Of course it was about his parents. Weren't all his regrets, now?

Danny yawned, rubbing his eyes. Might as well get through this all, then.

* * *

"Morning, Danny," Jazz said as he walked into the kitchen. "You're up early."

"Yeah, I think I accidentally turned on my alarm." He shrugged, skipping his seat to grab a plate and cutlery for himself. "Breakfast smells good, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie. And good morning." She smiled at him, then flipped a pancake. "It'll be done soon."

"Good morning, Danno." His dad looked up from the circuitry he was messing with. "Didya at least sleep well?"

He set down his stuff, then sat down in his usual seat. "It was alright."

"That's good." His dad nodded, turning back to the gadget. "You going to meet with your friends today?"

"Actually, I…" He swallowed back his doubt, steeled himself. He had to break this loop. It _had_ to be this. "I… was thinking about spending some time with you guys? Sam and Tuck are great, but I see them plenty during school, y'know?"

Jazz' head jerked, and she looked at him, dubiously. He shrugged back. It didn't seem to comfort her.

"Well, I would love to show you some of the stuff we're working on!" Jack grinned at him, and Danny pressed down on his doubt. "Mads, what do you think?"

Maddie clicked her tongue uncertainly. "I don't know, Jack. So much of our stuff tends to go off around Danny, I'm not sure that it would be safe to show him our in-progress stuff. But I would love to spend the day together, honey!"

"Yeah, I, uh." He smiled at them, a little nervously. "I think I would prefer spending time together _outside_ the lab, too. What d'you think, Jazz? Want to join in?"

Jazz shot him a brief dubious look, then schooled her expression so their parents didn't notice. "Sure! Spending time together as a family is good for everyone involved."

"Well, then that's settled." His mom plated a pancake, then turned off the burners. "A fun day together, just the four of us."

"It's been a while," his dad said, putting down the circuity, "hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I think so. Well, let's make the most out of our day together then, shall we?" Maddie put down the stack of pancakes, then sat down as well. "Eat up!"

* * *

Danny laid back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. For the first time in several nights, it was the ceiling of his own room, rather than Sam's.

He hadn't done it. He'd spent the whole day with his parents and Jazz, and still he hadn't been able to scrape together the courage to just _tell them_.

But it would be enough, right? They had been together, they'd had fun. Told each other how much they loved each other.

Why _wouldn't_ that be enough?

* * *

An alarm clock rang, and Danny groaned. He let it ring for several minutes before he finally reached out and switched it off.

Why _couldn't_ that have been enough, huh? Did he really have to… have to _do_ it? Just outright tell them?

He rolled himself out of bed, dragging himself through his morning rituals even slower than usual. In front of his closet, he paused.

After a moment of deliberation, he pulled out a different set of clothes than he had the previous few days.

Today was going to be different. He was going to make sure it was.

When he walked into the kitchen, it was to the smell of cooking breakfast and to the sound of quiet conversation.

"Morning, Danny," Jazz said. "You're up early."

"Yeah, I think I accidentally turned on my alarm." He skipped the table again, grabbing stuff for breakfast. "Smells good, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie. And good morning." She smiled at him, before casually flipping a pancake. "It'll be done soon."

His dad looked up. "Good morning, Danno. Didya at least sleep well?"

"Pretty good, all things considered." He looked at the circuity his dad was messing with, summoned all his bravery—and stupidity—and asked, "Hey, what are you working on?"

Jack grinned, wide and enthusiastic, and Jazz shot him a look that clearly asked him _'what on Earth do you think you're doing?'_.

"Well, I'm glad you asked!" His dad waved a hand at the circuitry, and Danny took his seat to lean in closer. "This bad-boy here is for one of the new machines your Mom and I thought of! We don't have a name for it just yet, but once it's done, it can completely turn off all the powers a ghost possesses! It'll be like they're human, except they're not! They're just vile ectoplasm!"

"Uh, right." Danny nodded along, trying not to flinch at the harsh words. "Well, that's pretty interesting, actually. How would it work?"

Jazz shot him another look, this one more incredulous, clearly asking if he was out of his mind.

He supposed that maybe he _was_.

"We can talk about this after breakfast, if you're interested," his mom cut in, plating a pancake and turning off the burners. Oh, were they that far along the conversation already? "Unless you had plans to meet with your friends?"

"Nah, I was thinking about spending the day with you guys." He smiled at her, coyly. "Unless you guys don't want me around?"

"Danny-boy, we'd love to have you." His dad clapped him on the back, and Danny almost smashed his face into the table because of the unexpected force. "You'll love it!"

His mom set down the stack of pancakes, taking her own seat. "Yes, exactly. It's been a while since we've spent time together, Danny."

"Yeah, I know." He played with his fork, fidgeting a little. "I guess I… haven't been very social. Sorry."

Jazz was still staring at him from her seat, but her gaze had gone softer. Less chastising, and more… understanding. Approving.

* * *

Danny followed his parents down the stairs, regretting his decision just a tad. He still wasn't feeling ready for this conversation, and now he'd gone and taken Jazz out of the equation as well.

But, by god, he just wanted this time loop stuff to be done.

"We'll have to be careful, though," his mom said, stopping in the middle of the lab. "Since our inventions tend to reach badly to you, honey."

"I know." He licked his lips. Already regretted was he was about to say. "I… think I know why."

His parents' eyes snapped to him, and yep, there it was, the regret.

"Oh?" His dad frowned a little, a frown of worry and confusion rather than anger. "Why, you should've told us sooner! We could've fixed it ages ago, make sure none of this could hurt you."

"I… Yes, well…" He shrugged, scuffing his sneakers on the floor. Didn't meet his parents' eyes. "It's, um. Complicated."

His mom kneeled next to him, suddenly, grabbing his hand. "Danny, sweetie. I promise you, whatever it is, it's okay. You can tell us."

He turned his head, looked her in the eyes. Swallowed heavily, feeling blindly for the power of his core in his chest.

Then, still meeting her eyes, he pressed enough power from it to flash his eyes green.

Maddie jerked back, drawing her hand away from him. "Danny, you-"

"Yeah." He kept his head turned down, but looked over towards his parents. The cat was out of the bag now. "I'm… I'm half-ghost. And I- I'm Danny Phantom."

His parents shared a look, and he hated everything that had led him here.

They were hurt. _He_ had hurt them, by telling them.

_This_ was why he had wiped their memories. Why he hadn't let them remember. Why he didn't want them to know.

"I'm sorry," he said, quietly, lowering his eyes to the floor again. "I know it's not… I know it's not- not _okay_. I can go, if you want. I- Sorry."

He swallowed, heavily, turning around to walk towards the stairs. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, though, turning him back around. Startled, he looked up, meeting his dad's eyes.

"Danno, don't." Jack waited, then, seemingly convinced that Danny wasn't going to leave, let go. "Danny… What do you mean, 'that it's not okay'?"

Danny scoffed, incredulously. "Really? You're asking _me_ why being half-ghost isn't okay? _You_, the ones who keep- who keep-" His throat closed up, cutting off the end of his sentence.

But his dad flinched, having clearly heard the unspoken words. "Danny, I- You know that that's not-"

"What, that's not what you _meant_?" He shook his head, clenched his fists. "So all the time you spent shooting Phantom, telling everyone who would listen how much you _hate_ every single ectoplasmic being, I'm supposed to ignore all that because it doesn't apply because I'm your _son_? Is that it? And all the other ghosts, no matter what they're like, none of them count? I'm special because I'm your flesh and blood?"

"No, Danny, that's not what we meant." His mom came closer again, but didn't quite dare to touch. "We just… We love you, Danny, no matter what."

"Ghost, human, or something in-between," his dad agreed, wrapping an arm around Maddie. "We love you, Danno. And… And maybe we've been mistaken about ghosts."

"Maybe?" he repeated, blankly.

They had said it. Again, they had said it.

Just like the first time around.

"Oh," he finally said, realization slowly finding its way into his brain. "I… I love you guys, too. And… Sorry for yelling at you."

"That's alright, kiddo." His dad reached over, gently tugging him over to join them. "With everything we've said, everything we've done… You've more than earned the right to tell us off. And we're sorry, too, for everything."

"You didn't know," Danny murmured into the bulk of his dad, both of his parents warm around him. His core hummed, its plentiful energy coursing through Danny's body. "And I chose not to tell you. If I had… You wouldn't have done it, I know."

His mom ruffled his hair, the movements slow and cautious. Danny didn't know if it was because she was scared _of_ him, or _for_ him. "We should've realized sooner. It's… so obvious, in hindsight."

"Yeah, well." He shrugged, turning slightly so he could meet their eyes again. "No one expects Phantom to have a secret identity, you know? That's the point. No one ever realizes, not unless- unless they see."

A silence fell, only slightly tense.

"Why does that sound like more people know?" his mom finally asked, her voice tight. "Are we not the first to know?"

"I- No?" He pulled himself out of the embrace slightly, frowning. "Sam and Tucker were the first to know, since they were there when it happened. And Jazz found out on her own." Then he made a face. "And most of the ghosts know, I guess."

"But then…" She paused for a long moment, like she was searching for the right words. "Then why tell us now? Not that we don't appreciate it, honey, even if we don't fully understand it, but…"

"The timing is weird," his dad agreed with a terse nod. "Nothing special happened. No reason for you to tell us now, instead of sooner, or waiting for later."

Danny licked his lips, looking away guilty. Because he _had_ stalled it. He had waited until the universe had forced his hand.

"Something _did_ happen. Or, well, _is_ happening, I guess. Um. It's kind of weird and complicated."

"Like the reason why you set off our ghost-hunting equipment?" his mom asked, one eyebrow raised.

He shrugged. "Uh, yeah, pretty much. So, you know that vacation that got canceled? Sam, Tucker, and I may or may not have actually done that already, but it got messed up because a really powerful ghost artifact got involved. And also my identity may or may not have gotten blown on live television."

Danny blew out a breath. "You know, may or may not. Anyway, I also may or may not have used that really powerful ghost artifact to reset the timeline two weeks so that none of that had happened, and then destroyed the ghost artifact."

His parents remained silent, processing it. Then, finally, his mom asked, "And that made you decide to tell us on your own, rather than wait for it to get revealed against your will?"

"Well, yes, sort of." He shrugged, sheepishly. "That, and you were really… y'know, nice. Positive. I knew that you would be okay with it, but… it's hard to remember that, sometimes."

"Oh, Danny." His dad pulled him back into the hug, the thick arm surprisingly gentle. "We'll take care of you, kiddo. We'll make sure you'll be alright."

And that? That, he definitely believed.

* * *

An alarm clock rang, and Danny swore, then hit it with an ecto-blast. His core whirred with the energy, twinging with all that power that he had, rested as he was.

Why? Why was he here again? Had he not broken the loop, by confessing his secret to his parents? What else could he do?

He rolled out of bed, went through his morning rituals, and paused in front of the closet. His hand hovered over yet another outfit, then he pulled it back.

Instead he tugged on his core, rings of light sweeping over him, replacing his pajamas with black hazmat and dyeing his hair white.

When he walked into the kitchen, conversation immediately stopped. Tension was almost tangible in the air, the smell of breakfast suddenly heavy and cloying.

Danny sat down in his usual chair, making sure to stay grounded, and smiled Jazz' incredulous look.

"Good morning, guys," he said lightly, ignoring every warning bell going off in his head. "Breakfast smells good, Mom."

She twitched in response, eyes locked on him. Unlike the previous times, she didn't smile. Nor did she flip the pancake, which was slowly starting to smell burnt.

"Danny," Jazz finally said, voice slow and carefully measured. "What are you doing?"

"I'm tired of this, Jazz." And he _was_. He was so, so tired of this. "I don't want to lie about this anymore. I don't care about this stupid secret anymore. I just want to be _me._ I just want to _live_."

Slowly, his mom turned around again, flipping the pancake. One side of it had burnt black. She was still watching him from her peripherals.

"And _this_ was the way you decided to go about that?" Jazz asked, incredulously, throwing out her hands. "Danny-"

"It _wasn't_," he snapped back, eyes flashing bright in his anger, his aura flickering wildly. He could see both of his parents reach for hidden weapons, and forced himself back into his seat. Forced himself to calm down. "Alright?! I'm caught in some kind of stupid _time loop_, and I- I _told_ them, last time, and I thought that that had fixed it, finally! But then I woke up again, here, now, and I'm just- I'm just _tired_, Jazz."

He laid his head on the table, the surface cool against his forehead. "I'm just _tired_, and _confused_, and I don't want to play this stupid game anymore. I'm done."

A hand settled on his shoulder, slow, gentle. It was too big, too heavy, to be Jazz'.

Danny looked up, and met his dad's eyes.

"Danny," he said, hesitation clear in his eyes, but with just as much love and warmth there as well. "Kiddo, is there anything we can do to help?"

He barked out a single laugh, sharp, humorless.

"I don't know. _I don't know_."

"Then we'll figure it out together," his mom said, plating the pancake. She met his eyes when he looked at her. "That's what we're a family for, Danny."

* * *

The sound of the alarm clock was sharp as always.

The sound of it shattering was far more satisfying.

Danny sat up, staring at his hands in his lap. He didn't know. He didn't know what else he had to change.

Unless…

* * *

Danny woke up, shut off the alarm clock, and groaned.

What else had he missed? He had told everyone who had known. His parents, Lancer, the other students at the school…

* * *

Danny's alarm clock screeched, and blankly, Danny wondered if this was Clockwork's doing.

After breakfast, he went back up to his room. Then he shifted into ghost form, flew past his parents and through the Portal, and went to Clockwork.

It wasn't Clockwork's doing.

* * *

"I can't believe this is happening to me," Danny said, lowly, the sound of his voice drowned out by the ringing of his alarm clock. "Caught in some kind of incessant time loop that no one seems to be responsible for, with no purpose, no way to break out of it."

Reluctantly, he shut it off, then rolled out of his bed.

He trudged down the stairs, joining his family in the kitchen still wearing his pajamas.

"Morning, Danny," Jazz said, laughter in her voice. "You're up early, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed listlessly, dropping into his seat. "I'm caught in a time loop and I'm getting really tired of it."

A clatter as his mom and dad dropped a spatula and a screwdriver, respectively.

"I'm sorry?" his mom asked, sharply. "Could you repeat that, honey?"

"Sure." He set an elbow on the table, heavily leaning his head on the propped-up hand. "I'm caught in a time loop, and I keep reliving this one specific day, and I don't know why, or how to break out of it."

"How?" His dad shoved his circuitry aside, the project forgotten in favor of his family. "Why? Who could've done this?"

"I don't know!" Danny groaned, lifting his head up again so he could shake it. "The only ghost I could think of who could do this is Clockwork, and he already said he wasn't responsible! And the Reality Gems could've done it, I guess, but I destroyed those!"

"Danny…" Jazz said, cautiously. "Are you sure-"

"Yes! Yes, I've told them several times over, and it doesn't matter! I don't care anymore!" He turned to his parents, suddenly, sharply. He tugged on his core, shifting into ghost form right then and there. "Here, tah-dah! I'm Danny Phantom! And I've told you this at least three times already, and you've forgotten every time because apparently that _isn't_ the trigger, and I'm just- I'm just _done_. I don't want to be keeping secrets any longer, so there you go!"

He groaned again, smashing his head against the table. The cool surface did little against the headache growing in his head.

"Danny…" His mom walked over closer, slowly reaching over. Laid a hand on his head, and then gently ruffled his hair. "Is there anything we can do to help? Anything you haven't tried yet?"

"I don't _know_," he groaned, lifting his head up again. Shifted back to human form, because he still hadn't gotten over the way his core felt too strong now.

Who knew you could get so used to being drained of power that being returned to full energy felt wrong?

"I don't know," he repeated. "I haven't told anyone about the time loop before, I guess, besides Clockwork. But that can't possibly be what breaks it either, can it?"

"Probably not," his mom agreed, sitting down. Danny couldn't smell any burning pancakes. She must've turned off the burners this time. "But maybe the four of us can think of something that you missed. What can you think of that could cause this time loop, again?"

"Clockwork, a ghost who lives in the Ghost Zone, and who I'm… sort of allies with? He said he didn't do it, and I believe him, so it's not him." Danny shrugged. "And the Reality Gems could've done it I guess, when combined in the Reality Gauntlet. But I destroyed those."

"When?" his dad asked, leaning forward. He looked intrigued, but concerned above all.

Danny felt a stab of emotion over that. Seeing his dad look more concerned for him than interested in learning more about ghosts. He didn't know what emotion it was.

"Uh, before this whole time loop business, I guess?" Danny answered the question, shrugging loosely. "It was a whole thing, but at the end of it I got the Gauntlet, made it so none of that ever happened, and made everyone but me, Sam, and Tucker forget. That's why we canceled our vacation—we already did it once. And then when everything was back to normal, I blew up the Gauntlet."

"And right after that this time loop began?" His mom frowned, sharing a look with his dad. "That was yesterday, technically?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He scratched his cheek, uncertain. "Why? If it's gone, it's gone, right? The loop starts after it was already destroyed, so it's not like it's coming back or anything."

Another shared look between his parents. His dad shifted, a little awkwardly, and cleared his throat. "Danny, what do you know about… ghost cores?"

"Ghost cores?" he repeated. "Uh, I know some, I guess? I know I've got mine regardless of form, but it's stronger in ghost form. And all my powers and stuff come from my core."

His parents nodded, and his mom took over now. "And has it felt… different, since you destroyed the Gauntlet? Strange, or painful, or-"

"Strong," he filled in, eyes growing wide. "It's felt strangely energetic, powerful, since then. But I thought it was just because I was well-rested, since I spent pretty much the whole time during the initial incident running my core as dry as it could get."

"Ghost cores develop as a ghost grows and matures," his mom started explaining, softly. "An especially adaptable core could take on traits forced upon it by the environment."

"Or take them from a destroyed object?" The dots finally connected, and Danny groaned. "Was _I_ the one making this time loop the whole time? Using a power I accidentally acquired?"

Jazz laughed, her first contribution to the conversation since the very beginning. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you screwed yourself over by losing control over a new power, right?"

He groaned again, slamming his head against the table again. "No. No, it wouldn't be," he agreed, voice muffled against the hard surface.

Danny tugged on his core, searching for oddities, similarities to the feeling back when the Gauntlet had still been a separate object. And, now that he was looking for it, he could feel them; the threads he had accidentally spun through reality, twisting it to repeat over and over again.

Now that he knew they were there, it was easy as cake to snip them away again. To release his hold on the timeline.

* * *

Danny woke up in his bed, the morning sun shining through his window. Next to him, his alarm clock was silent. 10am, it said. His phone, when he flipped it open, finally said a different date

And downstairs, his parents greeted him cheerily. His mom was already finishing her own breakfast, his dad had progressed his work on the new invention, and Jazz had already left for the library.

It was a new day, finally. A day Danny was ready to face, now.

* * *

This one was quite a challenge to write! I'd never done a time loop before (and don't have much experience with reading them, either, except that I really enjoyed the scant few I _have _read), so that was a little tricky. Some bits might definitely be rough on this one, because I wrote it in a single day. The last 2k, specifically, I wrote in about an hour between midnight and 1am.  
Yeah... I don't make good decisions.


End file.
